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Helja Evanovich
((As always, this is a work in progress. Updates forthcoming.)) Helja Evanovich is a halfblood witch originally from Tallinn, Estonia, who serves as a Professor of Xylomancy at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Before her employment at the school, Helja raised a family in Moscow, Russia and most recently ran a divination supply shop in Hogsmeade. She became a member of Hogwarts faculty in the latter semester of the 2024-2025 school year. =Biography= Early Life Helja Evanovich (nee Kask) was born to Jaak and Anu Kask in Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, near the tail end of 1979. Her parents met at a street carnival about a decade earlier, where Anu, a witch, worked as a fortune teller. She read Jaak's fortune and told him that he would not leave the carnival without knowing his soulmate; it seemed a clever move, but also an accurate one, because Anu stayed in town when the carnival moved on, making a life for herself with her new muggle husband. They only had one child, which meant that Helja received a great deal of attention and love from her parents. She had her first showing of magic at the ripe age of six, when she thwarted a bully by dumping a garbage can over his head. After that, Helja was taught a basic education in the home, including a rudimentary understanding of magic to prepare her for school. Education Like her mother before her, young Helja attended Durmstrang Institute, and excelled in several different branches of study, particularly divination. However the young Estonian struggled to make friends, and as such spent a good amount of time outdoors, hiking around the mountain lake that cradled their small castle. It was this alone time that allowed a particular interest in xylomancy to flourish, and Helja began researching and practicing it outside of course times. Marriage and Family Upon graduation Helja married one of her classmates, a pureblood from her year named Aleksei Evanovich. The pair moved to Moscow and started a family, while Aleksei worked as an apprentice to a prominent wandmaker. They had twins: two sons, named Gregorei and Jaak, both of whom attend Durmstrang to this day. Aleksei, while assisting in the shop, was disintegrated one day via a freak accident with a ten year old and some unsanctioned wand use. As such, Helja was left to make a living for her family. She opened a very successful divination shop, but couldn't stand to live and work in the same sector as her husband's untimely demise. And so, with her pockets full, Helja Evanovich traveled to the UK and opened a shop in Hogsmeade instead. She supplied incoming and current Hogwarts students with everything they could need for their classes, and something nagged at her. She desired to be in a classroom again, sharing her knowledge and love of Xylomancy with the younger generations. And so, it was on a particularly snowy day in 2025 that Helja finally set to work writing an owl to Headmaster Fox, asking him about a potential position... =About Helja= Appearance and Personality Helja Kask is strong and robust woman, with a full-figured build. She has chestnut brown hair and striking blue eyes, set on creamy, lightly mole-adorned skin. Her preference is to keep her hair pulled up and out of the way, and she is inclined to wear more traditional witch dress rather than modern garb. Some might be tempted to call her old fashioned, but Helja has always had an adventurous streak to her, which allowed her to pack up and travel all the way to the UK from her previous home in Moscow. She is a little shy with her contemporaries, and will never be one of the more outspoken ones; instead, she might take to the company of nature, walking the grounds and the forest. =Behind the Scenes= Rumour Has It "I heard that Professor Banks and the new Xylomancy professor had a long distance relationship while the former was in Azkaban." "Tuning into the professors’ table at dinner, I’ve heard Evanovich was brought in because Bellingham’s been nuttier than ever. He’s due a trip to Mungo’s soon, that’s what they’re saying." Category:Professors